Call it The BlackBerry Paradox: consumer perception for the smartphone brand is the highest it’s been in two years, practically at Samsung Galaxy levels, with the much-hyped Z10 product launch. Yet, brand loyalty still remains well behind its rivals, and consumers in the market for new smartphones are becoming less likely to purchase a BlackBerry
The long-awaited BlackBerry Z10 phone has received glowing reviews, inclusive coverage in category press; Blackberry ran its first ever ad during the Super Bowl. All of that helped drive its consumer perception to its best numbers since 2011.
Yet, other YouGov BrandIndex indicators show that all may not be so rosy with the BlackBerry sales picture:
· the company’s brand recommendation scores have been essentially flat since last August, significantly behind where the Galaxy is and far behind the iPhone, which has been on the upswing since the third week of February.
· consumers in the market to purchase smart phones over the next six months have sent Samsung soaring right into the thick of combat with Apple for likely purchase, while pushing BlackBerry’s levels lower and lower.
BlackBerry, Apple (and iPhone), Samsung (and Galaxy) were measured with three of YouGov BrandIndex’s measurements: Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”; Recommend score, which asks respondents: "Would you recommend the brand to a friend?"; and Purchase Consideration, which asks respondents in market, “How likely are you to purchase this product in the next six months?”
YouGov InvestorView Data: Most likely brand for new phone, respondent in market next 6 months
Recommend: Blackberry, Galaxy, iPhone
Buzz: Blackberry, Galaxy, iPhone
